Hawks Can`t Shoot Down Islanders

Some Blackhawks fans paid as much as $45 a ticket to be tortured and teased Sunday night at the Stadium. The New York Islanders` 4-2 victory was a masochist`s delight.

The visual pain the Hawks inflicted on 17,392 was even more costly in the sense the team fumbled a chance to open a season with a 3-0 record for the first time since 1972-73.

The crowd`s frustration wasn`t totally from watching the Hawks play badly at the outset. It was also from seeing them repeatedly fail to finish a lot of plays they initiated.

Not even Jim Harbaugh makes this many incompletions in one game. Chicago outgunned New York 46-22 in shots and, although rookie goalie Jeff Hackett was impressive with some saves, the Hawks helped him out by shooting themselves.

``We showed little respect for them from the opening faceoff,`` coach Mike Keenan said. ``We weren`t prepared to put in the work needed to win in this league. We didn`t come out and play crisply (trailing 3-0 after the opening 14 minutes, 4 seconds).``

The second period sums up a night of near-misses and could-have-beens. The Hawks outshot the Isles 22-2, and yet both clubs each scored a goal that period.

New York used three power-play goals, two gleaned from careless penalties by wing Stu Grimson, and a shorthanded goal arranged by foolish passing by the Hawks to assume a 4-1 lead after two periods.

``We`ll have to talk to Grimson,`` Keenan said of the waiver draft pickup last Monday who has already given opponents 15 power-play minutes from the 27 cumbersome minutes he`s logged in penalties so far.

His nickname will change from the Grim Reaper to the Grim Weeper if he forces Keenan to cry for help. Keenan noted he didn`t necessarily have to stick with Grimson, that he might decide to recall a player from the minors.

``The team lacked discipline,`` he explained, ``and took some bad penalties. That allowed them (New York) to be involved in the game and they were opportunistic.``

Keenan switched to goalie Jacques Cloutier for this game after Ed Belfour had won the season`s first two efforts.

``I thought the team would respond and play hard for him,`` he said.

``I wasn`t correct. They didn`t give Jacques a chance and I feel sorry for him.

``We started slowly for the second straight night. It was much like last night in St. Louis, only we didn`t dig as big a hole because of Eddie`s play and were able to come back.``

In between the first-period power-play goals scored by Doug Crossman and Pat LaFontaine, Cloutier gave up a shorthanded goal to Hubie McDonough that was uppermost in his mind afterward.

``If I`d made the save on that breakaway,`` he said of a shot McDonough sent through his legs, ``it would have stayed 1-0 and might have turned the game around.``

A passing error was at fault, however, for McDonough getting the chance. Bill Berg swiped a hurried swivel pass near the blue line by Hawks defenseman Steve Konroyd, who was given an ill-advised pass by Brian Noonan. Berg passed ahead as McDonough broke out alone.

Hawks center Jeremy Roenick continues to search for his first goal. He had several top-notch scoring chances Sunday and is playing hard, but has been unable to score.

``He`s probably pressing,`` Keenan said.

Roenick feels he`s ``got to find Steve Larmer better. Then it`ll flow. Getting that first goal of the year is always toughest. But this is only the third game and I think we`re in good shape. We just hit a hot goalie.``

The Hawks finally scored on their 31st shot. Adam Creighton tipped in a power-play goal on a shot up the slot by defenseman Trent Yawney.

This was one of two goals the Hawks were able to take from a five-minute penalty against Berg for clipping Wayne Presley`s nose with his stick. Berg also drew a game misconduct.

Yawney took a lucky route to his early third-period goal, coming with 19 seconds left on Berg`s penalty. Yawney skated low on the left side and tried to pass through the crease to Troy Murray.

But the puck pinballed off the skate of Isles defenseman Craig Ludwig and then caromed again off the skate of Hackett to nestle into the net.

Perhaps the Hawks should have spent more time shooting at Islander skates than at the net. It couldn`t have hurt.